A Curved Line
by mynameisella
Summary: Hazel Tyler was eighteen years old when her sister disappeared. A year later, she came back, bringing a strange man, a blue box, and aliens into her younger sister's life. Eventual Doctor/OC
1. Prologue: New Year's

_"A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting."_

**Prologue: New Year's**

I tapped my fingers on the coffee table, barely paying attention to the TV as everyone celebrated the new year. Mum and Rose weren't back yet, and I was bored. As I'm not quite eighteen- three more months to go!- Mum hadn't let me go out with my friends tonight. Every time Lily called to update me on whatever she ws doing, all I could reply with was, "How cool. I made friends with a stray cat that wandered in through our cat flap."

I was about to give up and go to bed when my older sister, Rose, came through the door. I jumped up, strawberry blonde hair flying. Rose squealed, hugging me. "Happy New Year!" I was shorter that Rose, so I was on my tiptoes while hugging her.

"How was your night?" I asked, tugging on her arm so that we both sat on the couch. Rose muted the TV and started rambling about the party and how she and Mum had to walk home because Mum's deadbeat boyfriend has bailed on them.

"That reminds me- I need to call Mickey," Rose got up and scurried into the kitchen, plucking the phone off it's jack and dialing. She took her gloves off, then raised her hands like she was going to take off a hat, but none was there. "Damn, I dropped my hat- Hi, Mickey, happy New Year!" Rose started talking to her boyfriend, but used her best puppy eyes to get me to go look for her hat. I waved my hands airily, getting up. I slid my black peacoat on and went downstairs to look.

The ground was covered in a light array of snow, which should have made looking for a purple hat easy. But, it was dark, so everything looked black. I think I bent down to check the same rock four times when there was a tap on my shoulder.

I stood up quickly, turning around to meet the eyes of a man who looked like he had gone through hell. His eyes- a gorgeous shade of brown- looked so, so tortured. His coat was torn, his suit underneath all askew. In his hand, which was trembling a bit, was Rose's hat.

"Are you looking for this?" Dumbly, I nodded. I took it from him and twisted the fabric in my hand. I smiled shyly.

"Thanks."

He beamed. Like, actually, properly _beamed_. Like it was the best thing in the world that I had thanked him. Like I had made his entire life, just because I was polite.

"So, happy New Year," he said, that bright smile still on his face. He looked like he was in pain, but he was clearly fighting it.

"You too," I replied. "Are you all right?" He nodded, but then he groaned as a wave of pain overcame him. He bent forward slightly, using the wall as support. Worried, I grabbed his arm. "Do you need some help?"

He looked at me, those eyes of his looking so sad, so heartbroken. Slowly, he nodded.

"I just- I need to get to that police box over there." He pointed to a large blue box in the distance. I raised my eyebrows, but nodded. I slung his arm around my shoulder. He carefully let go of the wall, and we slowly made our way to the box.

"I didn't know they still had police boxes," I commented as we got closer. I was never one that enjoyed silence. The man smiled a little.

"They don't."

I didn't say any more until we reached the box. The man grabbed the box's edge, pulling himself from me. "Thank you." He was facing away from me, looking at the blue box.

"You're welcome." I didn't move. One last time, the man turned and looked at me. I smiled, waving a little. I wasn't sure what to do, but I didn't want to be rude and leave. He gave me a little smile before snapping his fingers. The door to the police box swung open, and the box emitted a yellow light. The man hurried inside, shutting the door behind him.

I stood there for a second, thinking about the strangeness of it all. Then, I turned around and made my way back to my flat. When I was about halfway up the stairs, I heard a peculiar sound, halfway between a bang and the sound of something ripping. I whipped my head around, noticing that the police box in the distance was gone.

"What the hell?" I muttered, squinting to try to see what had happened. After a moment, I shrugged, figuring I had nicked too much of Mum's alcohol.

I went back inside, gave Rose her hat, and plopped on my bed.

* * *

**A/N: **Did you like it? I liked it. I liked it a lot, in fact. But, should I continue it? Please let me know in a review!

Thanks for reading, sweetie!


	2. Chapter One: Just Another Day

___"A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting."_

**Chapter One: Just Another Day**

Another day, another fresh pile of Missing posters. I hummed tunelessly to myself as I waited for fifty new posters to print. I could hear people behind me in line sighing and shifting from foot to foot, but I didn't care. I was about two seconds away from snapping at them all- _"oh, so sorry that my sister disappeared and I want to find her!"_- when the paper stopped coming out. I furrowed my eyebrows; there was no way that was fifty.

"Sir!" I called, putting a hand in the air to catch the worker's attention. The skinny boy, who was at least two years younger than me, smirked arrogantly as he sauntered over to me.

"What can I help you with, baby doll?" He asked, eyeing me like I was something to eat. Disgusted, I pointed to the printer.

"One, don't call me 'baby doll' unless you want me to smack that smirk right off your face." I said, blue eyes narrowed to show I meant business. "Two, the printer's out of paper. Get to it, Chicken Legs." The boy tried to make it look like I hadn't gotten to him, but his ears were turing red, so I knew I had.

"Right away, Miss." He scrambled back to his counter, fetching a large stack of paper. I crossed my arms in satisfaction as the printer began spitting out posters again. Soon enough, all fifty had printed and I was scooping them into my arms. Like I did every other day, I made my way through the streets of London. I put up Rose's missing posters any place where there wasn't one nearby, or where one had been taken down.

"No luck, then?" I jumped slightly, almost throwing the remaining posters in the air. Mickey took the posters from me, which allowed me to tape the one I had easier. I shook my head sadly.

"Is there ever?" I asked rhetorically. Mickey sighed, holding the papers just a bit tighter. It really was hard on all of us, Rose's disappearance. But it was hardest on Mickey, in my opinion. Not only did he lose his best friend and his girlfriend, but he had also been accused of killing her. I had never thought so, but Mum had for a while. I don't know why- Mickey couldn't hurt a fly if it bit him on the nose.

I made my way down the street, looking for more places to pin up a poster. Mickey followed me, right on my heels.

"So, what'd you say when Kenny asked you out?" He asked, handing me a poster as I got some tape ready. I looked over at him, eyebrows furrowed.

"How did you know that?" I asked, taping the poster crooked. Two days ago, Kenny Pink from four flats down had asked me out on a date. He had been all shy and blushing; he had even given me flowers! "Anyway, I said no."

Mickey sighed again, but this time it sounded like it was because he was disappointed in me. "You know, you can't just stop living because Rose is gone." I swallowed hard, staring at Rose's picture. It was one I had taken of her just two days before she vanished. We had gone out to eat- just the two of us, since Mum was out with whatever boyfriend she had at the time- and we wanted to take a picture of the cute guy waiting in line for a table. As a cover, we had pretended to take a picture of her. She was smiling, her blonde hair up in a ponytail. The picture was black and white, but you could still tell she was wearing bright red lipstick.

"I haven't stopped living," I denied, knowing he was right. "I wouldn't have wanted to go out with Kenny either way."

"I know that's not true!" Mickey was quick to retort. "You used to tell me and Rose all the time about how cute and funny he was." I shifted uncomfortably.

"Whatever, I changed my mind. I'm allowed to do that, you know."

Mickey didn't say anything. He knew he wouldn't win this argument with me. I was determined to do whatever I could to find my sister; the rest of the world could just wait for me.

"Dinner at mine?" I asked when all the posters were gone. Mickey nodded absently, scratching the back of his neck.

"Yea, I'll see you then. I gotta get to the shop." Mickey patted me affectionately on the shoulder, then went jogging down the street, towards the garage where he worked.

I made my way home, taking the long route. I didn't like being home much without Rose. Mum was either out, and the flat was too empty and quiet, or she was sitting in the living room bawling her eyes out while watching some mother-daughter feel good movie. I had moved past the crying-my-eyes-out stage and right into the numb stage. When it came to Rose, it was hard to feel anything anymore.

I often found myself wondering if I could have done something to stop Rose's disappearance. The therapist I had gone to for a hot second after that day had stressed that there was nothing I could have done, and I couldn't dwell on it. But, I still did. Maybe if I had gone with her when she had invited me to go out to eat with her and Mickey, maybe she would still be here. Maybe she wouldn't be in France, or Australia, or America, or wherever she was.

I refused to think she was dead, though. Never would I give up on finding her. Never, _never _would I allow myself to even consider her having died.

I climbed the stairs to get to our flat, stumbling over the rock Mrs. Dooley insisted on leaving right at the top of the staircase. She said that it was the only place she could keep it, since it hid her extra key underneath. I never tried to tell her how everyone always accidentally kicked both the rock and the key off the balcony and would just return it. If anyone in the estate wanted to rob her, it wouldn't be that hard.

I fumbled with my key for a second, but unlocked the door with relative ease.

"Mum, I'm home!" I called, stepping inside. "Mickey's coming for dinner, so make sure you-" I stopped talking, gawking at the sight in front of me. Tears pooled in my eyes, and I launched myself forward.

I wrapped my arms tight around my big sister, burying my face in her shoulder as I tried to stop the tears.

* * *

**A/N: **Woo, the first official chapter! I hoped you all like it. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.

Thank you so much to the two people who reviewed, and the multiple people who favorites/followed this story. Thank you for having faith in it!

If you guys have any suggestions for anything fanfiction-wise, let me know in a review/PM!

See you soon, sweeties xx


	3. Chapter Two: Psychic Paper

___"A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting."_

**Chapter Two: Psychic Paper**

"The hours I've sat here, days and weeks and months, only Hazel for company. I thought you were dead, and where were you? Traveling. What the hell does that mean, traveling?" Mum was bouncing around the kitchen, a cuppa in hand as she ranted to Rose, who sat on the couch next to me. I held her hand tight, eyeing the man who sat in the chair across from us. Rose had introduced him as "The Doctor" and had said that she had gone off traveling with him for the past year. "That's no sort of answer. You ask her. She won't tell me. That's all she says. Traveling." Mum waved her tea at the policeman that was perched on the sofa armrest.

Rose shrugged her shoulders. "That's what I was doing!" She kept insisting, but I knew her well enough to know she wasn't telling the whole truth. She was keeping something from us, and I was determined to find out what. And I was determined to find out who this "Doctor" was. I had never met the leather-jacket-wearing man before in my life, and I know that Rose hadn't, either.

"Why's your passport's still in the drawer, then?" Mum demanded. "It's just one lie after another." Rose looked like a kicked puppy, and I squeezed her hand in an attempt to make her feel better. She squeezed back.

"I meant to phone. I really did," Rose said, her voice small. "I just- I forgot." I couldn't help but snort at that. Rose looked at me, hurt evident on her face.

"What, for a whole year?" I asked, running my free hand through my strawberry blonde waves. "You forgot to let us know you were traveling- not kidnapped, like we all thought- for an entire year? _Really?_" I stood up, letting go of her hand. I knew I was supposed to be on her side, but I just couldn't. I had spent an entire year worrying and paying gross amounts of money on missing posters, and she was "just traveling".

"Hazel-" Rose tried to speak, but her voice broke. She was close to crying, I could tell.

"I just don't believe you," Mum cut in. "Why won't you tell us where you've been?" The man called the Doctor held up a hand halfway, drawing attention to him.

"Actually, it's my fault. I sort of, er, employed Rose as my companion." He smiled, obviously attempting to look sheepish, but failing. I raised my eyebrows, crossed my arms, and just stared at him incredulously. The police officer wrote something down in his little notebook.

"When you say companion, is this a sexual relationship?" He asked. Rose made a face, the Doctor looked shocked.

"No!" They cried in unison. Mum slammed her mug on the counter and marched into the living room. Instead of going after Rose like I thought she was going to, she went after the Doctor. Hands on hips, she began to berate him.

"Then what is it?" She demanded. "Because you- you waltz in here all charm and smiles, and the next thing I know, she vanishes off the face of the Earth!" Mum waited about two seconds for him to say something, but seemed to realize how old he was. "How old are you, then? Forty? Forty-five? What, did you find her on the Internet? Did you go online and pretend you're a doctor?" Mum would have kept rambling, but I jumped forward and grabbed her elbow.

"Calm down," I mouthed.

"I am a Doctor," the Doctor said. Mum whipped her head to look at him.

"Prove it. Stitch this, mate!" Ripping her arm from my grip, she slapped the Doctor hard on the cheek.

* * *

A while later, I was sitting on the balcony, head resting on the metal bar. Rose came out, handed me a cup of tea, and sat next to me. She cradled her own in her hands, sipping at it without saying anything.

"I'm sorry," she said finally. I took a sip of my tea, not saying a word. This was her apology, and I was going to let her go through it on her own. "I really am. It's- it's just really hard to explain." She faltered, and didn't say any more. I shook my head, looking at her with sad eyes.

"That's all you can say? 'It's hard to explain'? I'm going to need a little more than that!" Rose looked like she was going to cut me off, so I hurried on. "Rose, we have told each other everything since we were kids! Why is this different? I always keep your secrets, I always believe whatever you tell me, there's absolutely no reason why you can't explain what happened!" I stopped myself from going on when I saw Rose's face. I took a large gulp of tea, burning my mouth in the process.

Rose looked torn. She stared into her tea for a moment, then took a deep breath.

"The Doctor is an alien, and I was traveling time and space with him in his time machine. It's only been a few days for me, but a year for you." She blurted out, looking at me desperately.

I stared at her blankly, blinking owlishly.

"Hazel?" Rose asked, voice wavering. Gingerly, she poked me on the shoulder.

After a second of processing, anger flared hot inside me. Did she think I was stupid? I had just said I would believe whatever she said, and she was taking advantage of that and telling me such an outrageous lie? Like I was that gullible. All I wanted was the truth, all I wanted was to know where she had gone and what had happened to her.

"What the hell?" I whispered. "What. The. Hell?!" I set my tea mug on the concrete and stood up. "Why are you lying to me? We never lie to each other, Rose!"

"I'm not lying, I swear!" Rose stood up as well, clutching her mug tight. "That's all true!"

I snorted. "Oh yea, the guy with the big ears is an alien, and you were traveling in time and space for a year? What, did you go meet Shakespeare?"

"No," Rose murmured. "I met Charles Dickens." I laughed meanly. I could tell Rose was upset, but I didn't really care. She had made me permanently upset for a year, and then she had the gall to lie to my face about why she was gone.

"Oh, of course it was Dickens." I muttered. I waved my hands in front of me. "I can't do this right now. I just can't." I stalked down the stairs, ignoring Rose as she called my name.

I wasn't looking where I was going, and I ended up running right into someone.

"Sorry," I mumbled, stepping backwards a little to keep my balance. I looked up and almost groaned when I saw who it was. The Doctor. He looked down at me, seeming concerned.

"Hazel, isn't it? Are you alright? Did Rose talk to you?" He asked. I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"Oh yea, she fed me that stupid lie about you being an alien." I eyed him suspiciously. "Were you the one to come up with that? How'd you get my sister to lie to me like that? She's never lied to me before you came along and-" The Doctor waved his hands in front of him.

"Wait. She told you _what_?" He asked.

"She said you were some alien and you two had gone traveling through time and space and that it had only bee a few days for her." I said quickly, trying to step around him.

The Doctor shook his head. "She should have known you wouldn't believe her," he muttered. He stepped in front of me again, fishing something out of the inside pocket of his jacket. It was a little leather flap thing, with a slip of paper in a clear holder. "Here, this will be proof enough."

I took the leather-wallet-thing, looking at the blank piece of paper. "What is this supposed to be?"

"Psychic paper. You flash it at someone while thinking about what you want it to say, and it'll appear on the paper." The Doctor explained. I gave him a disbelieving look.

"Okay, sure," I said, successfully stepping around him and walking off.

"Just try it!" The Doctor called, sounding exasperated. "You'll see."

* * *

**A/N: **Guys. Come _on_! Is it really that hard to leave a review? I mean, two seconds to say "good chapter" or "update soon" isn't hard at all. Please? I don't mean to be mean or rude or anything, but you're all favoring and following this story and I'm super grateful. I really am, but it would mean so, so much if you could just leave a review.

Anyway, thanks so much for reading! See you soon, sweeties xx


	4. Chapter Three: The Crash

___"A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting."_

**Chapter Three: The Crash**

I sat on a bench on the far side of the estate, absentmindedly chewing on my lip while flipping the leather-flap back and forth. The paper stayed blank, like I knew it would. That guy was a joke. I couldn't believe that Rose had actually run off with him for a year and wouldn't tell us why.

My phone buzzed. I pulled it out and silenced it she I saw that it was Rose calling. Funny, two days ago and I would have been crying if she had called. Now, I was ignoring her attempt. I stuck my phone back in my pocket. I didn't feel like talking to her.

Tears gathered in my eyes and I pulled my knees up to my chest. I wished that the past year hadn't happened. I just wanted my sister back, like she used to be. Not lying to me. Not running off with some stranger. I just wanted Rose back.

_WHIZZ. _My head snapped up and my mouth dropped open. A giant hunk of metal was falling right out of the sky, a thick stream of smoke trailing behind. I could only describe it as a spaceship. But, that wasn't possible. Aliens weren't real. Right? I had just yelled at my sister because she had tried to claim that aliens were real, and, not even half an hour later, here's proof. Sort of.

The spaceship fell at an alarming rate, right over my head and past the rest of the estate. I knew, though, from the angle that it was headed for Big Ben. There was no doubt about it.

"What the hell?" I muttered, standing. I ran down the block, in the direction the ship had gone. Already, the streets were being blocked off, but I had a view of Big Ben. And the giant, metallic spaceship lodged right in its side.

* * *

"Mum, I'm fine. Yes, I saw it," I was shouting over the yells in the pub I was in. Everyone was buzzing about the spaceship; all the tellies were on the news, though nothing was being reported that you couldn't have figured out for yourself. It was definitely alien, so far there were no signs of life inside, all the alien-specialist-wackadoodles were being called in from around the world for help. "No, I'm not coming home. Mum! You don't understand-"

_"Your sister is in such a state because that bloke just ran off, leaving her behind. You should come comfort her, like she did when Scott from uptown dumped you."_

"Mum!" I cried, not wanting to relive that nightmare. "And I'm sure Rose is fine. He'll probably come back in an hour or so anyway."

_"Well, I guess you're right. Here he is," _Mum sounded irritated. _"Sweetie, I need to go. Things are getting crazy over here. Come home soon, okay?" _She hung up, leaving me staring at my phone, bewildered.

"What can I get for you, sweetheart?" The grimy bartender asked, leaning over the counter. He smiled in a way that I'm sure he thought was charming, but it really wasn't. I sighed, stuffing my phone in my pocket.

"Nothing, I was just going." I jumped off the barstool, ignoring the bartender's complaints about my having hogged a stool that a paying customer could have used. I just flipped him off without looking back.

By the time I made it home, Rose had run off with the Doctor yet again. Mum was in a state, Mickey just seemed pissed as all hell.

"Mum, calm down, okay?" I said, kneeling in front of her as she sat on the couch. "I'll go find her and bring her home, okay? Do you know where she went?" Mickey scoffed, kicking the leg of a kitchen chair.

"Probably tried to find a way to the crash, right? Or Downing Street or something."

"What's a TARDIS?" Mum asked suddenly. I raised my eyebrows.

"Um, what?" I asked, not sure I heard her correctly.

"A TARDIS. That's what Rose called the blue police box the Doctor had." That rung a distant bell, but I brushed it off and shrugged.

"Dunno, but I'll ask her when I find her, okay?" I kissed her forehead as I stood up. "I've got my phone, so call if you need anything." I made my way to the door, grabbing my purse. I stuffed my phone and the leather-flap inside, zipped it up, and opened the front door.

"You'll never get through all the police, you know." Mickey called. I took a deep breath, holding onto the strap of my purse.

"I'll find a way."

It wasn't long at all until I got held up by police.

"Miss, you can't get through! This area is restricted, it's dangerous." The police woman waved her gloved hands in front of me, trying to redirect me away from Downing Street. I figured, if the Doctor really was an alien, he'd be headed there to help with whatever was going on. "Miss, please."

I groaned, but allowed myself to get shoved over. I didn't let myself get too far away from the barriers, though. I was going to find a way through. I just had to think of a plan. I dug around in my purse, trying to find anything that could help me. After a minute, my fingers brushed against the leather-flap.

What had the Doctor called it? Psychic paper, right. He had said that if I flashed it at someone, it would say whatever I wanted it to say. Was that really true? I mean, he really was an alien (I figured I should just accept it by then), so why wouldn't he have something cool like psychic paper?

I pulled it out, pursing my lips. What if it didn't work? I'd look stupid, and probably insane, as well. I held it a little tighter, resolve coursing through me like a river. I had to find Rose, at least for Mum. I could stand to look a little stupid for my mother.

I closed my eyes, concentrating on what I wanted the paper to say. After a second, I marched up to a different police officer, psychic paper showing. "My name is Cornelia Spinelli, Assistant to the Prime Minister's secretary. Let me through, please." The man looked surprised, and bent down to get a better look at the paper. My heart pounded hard in my chest, a sliver of doubt blooming deep inside. I was about to get carted off to prison, wasn't I?

The police officer nodded curtly, moving a barrier to let me through. I sighed inwardly with relief. That was easier than I thought it would be!

Soon after, I was whizzing past any and all barriers, using my "assistant to the Prime Minister's secretary" bit. It took me a while, but I finally made my way to Downing Street's front doors. I groaned quietly; there was no way my bit was going to get me into there. I bit my lip, trying to think of a way in there. I was only standing there a minute when someone spotted me.

"Miss Fox?" They called, jogging over to me. I stood straighter, suddenly incredibly nervous. "You're Amanda Fox, head of Southern France's alien department, right?" I nodded quickly, flicking open the psychic paper, which displayed the correct name and title. I didn't know French, but I hoped the man would still buy it.

Thankfully, he did. Apparently, they had been waiting for Amanda to show up. The man handed me off to a short, stout woman with a mop of dirty blonde hair, who ushered me quickly inside.

"Unfortunately, the other alien experts were murdered," she simpered as we headed upstairs. My stomach fell to my toes. Oh shit. What was I getting myself into? "So, we need you know more than ever."

"O-oh, well, glad I could be of help," I replied in my best French accent. I think she could tell it was fake, but she didn't say anything.

Soon enough, I was ready to scream. The lady was herding me towards a group of large, green aliens. They parted ways for her, and she knocked on the solid wood door briskly.

"Oh, Doctor?" She called, her voice sugar-sweet in a way that made my hands shake. "I just thought you ought to know that I have a Miss Amanda Fox out here. Open the doors, or she dies."

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you guys so much! So many of you reviewed, and almost all of them were incredibly well thought out and great. Please keep them coming, it was fantastic every time I got a new one :)

I hope you all liked this chapter! I'm so glad that you all seem to like Hazel, and I hope you continue to like her.

See you soon, sweeties!


	5. Chapter Four: Mickey the Idiot

___"A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting."_

**Chapter Four: Mickey the Idiot**

The wooden doors flew open to reveal...

No one.

The green aliens and the blonde lady all shared what I assumed to be confused looks. The woman's grip on my arms slackened, and a second later, a leather-clad arm shot out, grabbed the strap of my purse, and yanked me inside. The doors slammed shut behind us, much to the aliens' dismay.

"Hazel?" I looked up to see Rose, the Doctor, and some older woman all staring at me. "I thought Amanda Fox was out there." I smiled, flashing the psychic paper at them. The Doctor broke into a huge smile.

"Brilliant!" He held out his hand, and I gave him the paper back reluctantly. That thing was super cool. Vaguely, I wondered if he'd give me my own.

"Um, Doctor?" Rose piped up, looking worriedly at her phone. "I think we have a problem. Look what Mickey just sent me." She held up her phone for the three of us to see. It was a dark picture of one of those green aliens. I blanched.

The Doctor didn't look happy. "Of course. Call him." Rose nodded, already halfway dialing Mickey's number.

I looked over to the older woman. "Sorry, but who are you?" The woman immediately whipped out an ID, flashing it at me.

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North." I nodded, wondering why she couldn't have just said her name.

"I'm Hazel, Rose's sister." Harriet stuck out her hand and we shook.

"Mickey! What happened- are you okay?" Rose asked, phone pressed to her ear. The Doctor took it, setting it on the table and putting it on speaker. Mickey was barely coherent- he was babbling away- and then we heard Mum in the background. "Is my mum there?"

"Yea, it was at your house!" Mickey exclaimed. "About to attack and everything."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I mean, just cause it's alien, doesn't mean it wants to kill everything." Rose, the Doctor, and Harriet all gave me dumbfounded looks, making me assume I had missed a lot.

"I mean, you're right, Hazel," the Doctor said after a second. "Not all aliens are killers, but these ones have already proven themselves so."

"No, no, no!" Mickey refuted, most likely responding to me rather than the Doctor. "It wanted to kill us!"

Mum, in the background, cried, "I could have _died_!" I cringed. The very last thing I wanted to think about was Mum potentially dying. I already had one dead parent, I definitely didn't need another.

"Is she alright, though? Don't put her on, just tell me." Rose asked, tucking her hair behind her ear as she leaned closer to the phone. The Doctor, who had been off in his own world for a second, snapped his fingers suddenly and slid the phone closer to him.

"Ricky, go to your computer," he ordered. I raised my eyebrows at the 'Ricky' part, but said nothing. It was probably just a ploy to irritate Mickey. It seemed to work, if Mickey's offended huff was any indication.

"It's Mickey, and why should I?" He asked. By the sound of computer chair wheels squeaking, he had done it anyway.

"Mickey the Idiot, I might just choke," the Doctor began, "before I finish this sentence, but- er- I need you."

* * *

Mickey was typing away, following every instruction the Doctor gave him.

"It says password." He said, pausing on the keyboard.

"Buffalo. Two Fs, one L." The Doctor replied quickly. He went back to pacing, as he had been for a while. Rose and I were sitting next to each other on the cushy chairs in the meeting room. I had my legs crossed, and I had my elbows propped on my knees, with my head in my hands.

"So, aliens," I said blandly, looking over and Rose. She bit her lip, obviously wondering if I was going to blow up at her again. I took a deep breath. "Wow." Rose let out a giggle, putting her hand over her mouth to muffle it.

"I know."

"But, for real? Aliens, time machines?" I asked, not quite forming full sentences. Rose knew what I was talking about anyway. She always did.

"Yea. It's so amazing out there, Hazel. You wouldn't believe the things I've seen, the people I've met." Rose gushed, leaning forward. Her eyes were lit up; I could tell that this traveling she had done had meant the world to her. Maybe even more. "I've been all the way to the year five billion." My eyes bugged out a little.

"No way!" I exclaimed quietly. "Oh my God. That must have been so awesome."

"Oi, girls, you can finish gossiping later!" The Doctor called over to us. "We have important stuff going on, if you haven't noticed." I sat up a little straighter, not liking being chastised by him.

"It's not like you need our help right now, is it?" I shot back. Rose laid a hand on my arm, silently asking me to shut up. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Well, maybe you can answer this: why did the Slitheen go and hit Big Ben?" The Doctor asked, looking at me expectantly. I shrugged.

"Well, considering how they were gonna kill me when they thought I was Amanda Fix, I'd assume it'd be to get rid off all the people with real alien knowledge in one fell swoop." I answered. If I hadn't known better, I'd have thought the Doctor looked impressed.

"True, but that lot would've gathered for a weather balloon," he declared sardonically. "They didn't need to crash land in the middle of London." Rose sat back in her chair, thinking.

"The Slitheen are hiding, but then they put the entire planet on Red alert," she stated. I assumed that 'the Slitheen' referred to the aliens. "What would they do that for?" Mum scoffed on the other end of the call, loud and clear.

"Oh, listen to her," Mum said haughtily. "Listen to both of them."

"At least we're trying!" Rose shot back.

"Mum, this isn't the time-" I tried.

"Hazel, hush." Mum snapped. "Now, I've got a question, if you don't mind. Since that man walked into our lives, I have been attacked in the streets. I have had creatures from the pits of hell in my own living room, and my daughter disappear off the face of the Earth." Mum sounded close to tears. Rose shifted from food to foot uncomfortably, guilt written all over her face. She knew how much pain she had cause us. I could tell. I could also see how sorry she was.

"I told you what happened," Rose mumbled.

"I'm talking to him. 'Cause I've seen this life of yours, Doctor." Mum said, voice shaking a bit. "And maybe you get off on it, and maybe you think it's all clever and smart, but you tell me- just answer me this. Is my daughter safe?" Rose shook her head, though Mum couldn't see.

"I'm fine," she insisted. Mum ignored her.

"Is she safe? And what about Hazel, because I know that now she's gotten a taste of your world, she's going to want more. Will they both be safe? Can you promise me that?" My cheeks heated up when Mum mentioned me- she was right, of course, but still.

The Doctor had a grave look on his face. He looked at Rose, then at me. I averted my eyes, looking down at my hands. I noticed my nail polish was chipped and began picking at it.

"Well, what's the answer?" Mum asked. Before the Doctor, or anyone, could say anything, Mickey grabbed the phone from Mum.

"We're in."

* * *

**A/N: **Yay! I'm so glad you seem to be liking this story. And I'm really happy you all seem to like Hazel.

Please, please, please keep reviewing! Your reviews are great and I love them a lot, plus they let me know that you guys are liking what I'm writing. So, please keep them coming.

Btw, go vote on the poll on my profile!

One last thing, guys. In less than a week, I'm going to be going to France for a while and I'm not going to be able to update until I come back. Hopefully, I'll be able to update once more before I leave, but I'm going to be really busy until then, so I don't know if that'll happen.

Anyway, see you soon, sweeties!


	6. Chapter Five: Narrowing it Down

___"A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting."_

**Chapter Five: **Narrowing it Down

Everyone's heads snapped to where the phone lay. The Doctor leaned in close, seriousness etched all over his face.

"Now then, on the left at the top, there's a tab, an icon. Little concentric circles. Click on that." He ordered. We were all silent as Mickey did as he was told. A second later, a high pitched whining came from the speaker. I winced; it hurt my ears.

"What is it?" Mickey asked, a little louder than before. I couldn't tell if it was because he was trying to be heard better over the noise or if he was plugging his ears and couldn't tell how loud he was.

The Doctor hushed Rose, who made an unhappy noise and crinkled her nose. He listened to it. "The Slitheen have got a spaceship in the North Sea and it's transmitting that signal. Now hush, let me work out what it's saying." We were all quiet, especially Harriet. She looked like she didn't know what to do with herself.

Mum humphed. "He'll have to answer me one day," she informed everyone.

"Sh!" Mickey hissed.

**"**It's some sort of message," the Doctor realized, speaking low. I tugged on a lock of my hair, forehead wrinkling as I tried to hear what he could in the noise.

"What's it say?" I asked, looking over to him. He shrugged.

"Don't know. It's on a loop, keeps repeating." Mickey's doorbell rang, temporarily blocking the noise. "Hush!"

"That's not me," Mickey said. To Mum, he ordered, "Go and see who that is."

"It's three o'clock in the morning," Mum protested. Mickey sounded exasperated.

"Well, go and tell them that!" I rolled my eyes.

"Mickey, if you could _not _order my mum around, that'd be great," I snapped. Rose nudged me in the side, mouthing something along the lines of "Be nice!" I scowled, but said no more.

The Doctor acted as if I hadn't spoken, and muttered, "It's beaming out to space. But, who's it for?" On the other end of the phone, Mum shrieked something, causing all of us to jump.

"They've found us," Mickey told us. My eyes widened and I shared a horrified look with Rose.

"Get out," I said automatically. "Now!" The Doctor waved his hands to try to stop me from speaking.

"Mickey, I need that signal." Rose looked at him like he was crazy.

"Never mind the signal, get out of there!" Rose cried. Mickey groaned.

"We can't, it's by the front door." He paused. Then, he started shrieking like a little girl. "Oh God, it's unmasking. It's gonna kill us!" Harriet jumped up like she just couldn't take it anymore.

"There has to be something we can do!" She yelled, her hands forming fists. She was shaking slightly, though if that was from fear or determination, I couldn't tell you. "You're the expert, think of something!" The Doctor looked shocked.

"I'm trying!" Rose grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight. I squeezed back, chewing on my lip in an attempt not to start crying. "If we're going to find their weakness, we need to find out where they're from. Which planet. So, judging by their basic shape, that narrows it down to five thousand planets within travelling distance. What else do we know about them? Information!" He looked at the three of us expectantly. I blurted out the first thing I could think of.

"They're green!" The Doctor nodded, mentally cataloguing that bit of information.

"Yep, narrows it down."

Rose snapped her fingers. "Good sense of smell- they can smell adrenalin!"

"Narrows it down."

"The pig technology," Harriet offered. I furrowed my eyebrows- they had officially lost me.

"The spaceship in the Thames, you said slipstream engine?" Rose reminded him.

"Narrows it down," he repeated yet again. A yelp came from the phone.

"It's getting in!" Mickey cried. I could hear the crack of a wooden door breaking into pieces.

"They hunt like it's a ritual." Rose added. Harriet half raised her hand, drawing attention to herself.  
"Wait a minute. Did you notice, When they fart- if you'll pardon the word- it doesn't just smell like a fart, it's something else. What is it? It's more like-" Rose got all excited, as if she understood exactly what Harriet was trying to say.

"Bad breath!" She cried. The Doctor clapped his hands.

"Calcium decay! Now, that narrows it down!" He exclaimed. "Calcium phosphate. Organic calcium. Living calcium. Creatures made out of living calcium. What else? What else? Hyphenated surname. Yes! That narrows it down to one planet. Raxacoricofallapatorius!"

"Oh great, we can write them a letter!" Mickey sneered. Mum shouted something, but I couldn't make out what it was.

"Mickey, get to the kitchen," the Doctor ordered. "Do you have anything with vinegar?"

"How should I know?" Mickey asked hysterically.

"It's your kitchen!"

"Cupboard by the kitchen, middle shelf." I said quickly. Rose looked at me, eyebrows raised. I shrugged. "I did his grocery shopping last week. He fixed Mum's car for free."

* * *

"They're calling for a nuclear war," Rose stated after we had overheard a television broadcast through Mickey's phone. "All so they can sell the planet for a few extra bucks." I laughed drily.

"That's why they made the big scene, right?" I asked rhetorically. "Whenever humans are scared, we lash out. Aliens attack, and we'll fight right back." Humans really were predictable.

"So, what do we do?" Harriet asked, looking to the Doctor. "There has to be a way out." The Doctor looked grim.

"There's a way out," he told us, gripping the edge of the table tight. He wouldn't look at any of us.

"What?" Rose asked, standing. "Then why don't we use it?" The Doctor turned his attention to the phone, which was still on the table, Mum and Mickey on the other end.

"Because I can't guarantee your daughters will be safe," he said quietly.

"Don't you dare," Mum said quickly. "Whatever it is, don't you dare!" The Doctor sighed.

"That's the thing. If I don't dare, everyone dies."

"Do it," Rose and I said together. He looked at us, half-incredulous and half-amazed.

"You don't even know what it is," he stated. "You," he nodded to me, "you've just met me. And you'd just let me do it?" I shrugged, nodding.

"Yea."

"Doctor, please. Those are my daughters!" Mum begged. "They're just kids."

"Do you think I don't know that? Because this is my life, Jackie." The Doctor said. "It's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will." I crossed my arms.

"Then what're you waiting for?" I asked. The Doctor was about to say something, but Harriet jumped in.

"Except it's not your decision, Doctor," she said bravely. "It's mine."

"And who the hell are you?" Mum asked, sounding pissed.

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North," Harriet recited. If Mum had been in the room, she would have flashed her ID. "The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people for the people. And on behalf of the people, I command you. Do it."

* * *

**a/n: **Greetings from France! How are all of you? Good, I hope. I bet you didn't think you'd be hearing from me! Well, I've got some good wifi and a few minutes to spare, so here's the next chapter. I hope you all like it, and keep up your reviewing! It's been great, so don't stop!

See you when I'm back in the states, sweeties!


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